The notion of even possessing a preference as to whom should be
president of this crumbling, faux republic...is a bit like asking what color
uniform one would prefer that the crew tasked with rearranging the deck chairs
on the Titanic should don as they go about their duties.

In times such as these, when escaping into one's comfort zone is no
longer a viable option, one is advised to evince the audacity of hopelessness,
because the act leaves one desperate enough to embrace this daunting
proposition:

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free." John 8:32

Although, for the present and foreseeable future, the propitious aspects
of the sentiment will not hold true for Bradley Manning"whose plight displays
the punitive, hyper-authoritarian nature of late U.S. empire. As is the case
with Manning, in a national security state, few acts will cause one to lose his
freedom in a more rapid manner than to reveal the secrets of lawless, ruthless
power.Apparently, Bradley Manning guarded secrets of his own"not shameful
ones--but traits that would cause him to become subject to derision if
revealed.

Manning desired to practice transvestism. This U.S. Army private was
privy to illusion. Innately, he grasped how being coerced into suppressing
one's secrets damages one's soul. Manning merely harbored the desire to
practice a bit of gender bending; in contrast, the operatives of empire demand
that they be allowed to bend and twist the world itself towards their
exploitative ends.

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To live in empire--in the service of its imperial military or in the
thrall of the pursuit of careerist vanity and consumerist compulsions--is to
live a selfish lie, day in and day out.

Rupaul (Andre Charles) averred, "We all came into this world naked.
The rest is all drag."

We all make choices as to what form of drag we practice. Does my lie
promote the truth? Is my act educational, entertaining or edifying? Does it
allow me to inhabit my true self yet transcend my narcissism? Does my act and
attendant actions bring balm or does it deliver more suffering than necessary
to a world where it is impossible to escape suffering?

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Ask yourself and those around you these questions in regard to Private
Manning and the operatives and denizens of U.S. Empire.

On the subject of identity, authentic or dubious: Even after being an
almost constant public presence for more than half a decade, Barack Obama's
true nature and authentic identity remains elusive. After all this time, he
still seems less man than marketing rollout, less of a political leader than an
object lesson in product placement. The situation is like having the role of
chief executive of the nation filled with a disposable razor or a heavily hyped
iPhone application.

The U.S. presidency, as is the case with almost all aspects of life in
the corporate consumer state, has become increasingly dominated and defined by
commercial/public relations-type legerdemain. The constant commercial come-ons
of the media hologram mask its hollow core; the proliferation of weightless
lies serves to overwhelm the gravity of perilous times.

Obama's nebulous nature works to ensure the continued irrational ardor
of his supporters, who, against all evidence, insist on clinging to fantasy and
projection regarding the president's much in evidence anti-democratic
tendencies; hence, progressive types seem prone to project their own redeeming
qualities on the blank slate that Obama creates and deploys as his public
persona--a method similar to that used by con artists who exploit the decency
of their marks to achieve their criminal ends.

Apropos, this indefensible, Bush-era type of deceit connecting 9/11 and
the invasion and occupation of Iraq:

"The war in Iraq will soon belong to history. Your service belongs
to the ages. Never forget that you are part of an unbroken line of heroes spanning
two centuries -- from the colonists who overthrew an empire, to your
grandparents and parents who faced down fascism and communism, to you -- men and
women who fought for the same principles in Fallujah and Kandahar, and
delivered justice to those who attacked us on 9/11."-- President Obama speaking
to troops at Fort Bragg, N.C., December 14, 2011

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In this instance, the shape-shifter Obama morphs from hollow man to
Death's slick, narrow-ass, public relations representative.

I've noticed that debates with Obama's apologists have a very similar
trajectory as those with Republican partisans. Because partisans are hard
pressed to explain away the affronts to truthful discourse and good governance
displayed by the politicians they support, any attempt to engage them in debate
involving the merits (or lack thereof) of the policies of said politicians
(e.g., their unwavering support of the 1% and U.S. militarist
imperium)--quickly devolves into volleys of ad hominem attacks launched from
the ranks of their supporters.

For example, from the right, OWS activists are labeled dirty,
America-hatin' hippies who supports swarthy terrorists, yet from the liberal
camp, OWSers who refuse cooperation with the Democratic Party are cast as
purer-than-thou types--too above it all to sully themselves by an acceptance of
the pragmatic nature of political reality.